With nationwide battles between the State and the Teacher’s Union on how we teach our children, the only voices heard seem to be conservative and centrist. There doesn’t seem to be anyone representing the children, themselves. But progressive voices do exist, and we will speak with two of them concerning the current crises in American education.

Kate Burch is Principal of Harvest Collegiate High School which was her master’s thesis at Teacher’s College Columbia University. She graduated from Harvard with high honors in history and literature. She taught at an alternative school, Humanities Prep, for many years. In 2007 she spent a year in Ghana on a Fulbright from Yale and developed lessons about Africa to bring back to the classroom.

Alfie Kohn is an American author and lecturer who has explored a number of topics in education, parenting, and human behavior. He is considered a leading figure in progressive education and has also offered critiques of many traditional aspects of parenting, managing, and American society more generally, drawing in each case from social science research. Kohn’s challenges to widely accepted theories and practices have made him a controversial figure, particularly with conservatives and those who defend the specific practices he calls into question, such as the use of competition, incentive programs, conventional discipline, standardized testing, grades, homework, and traditional schooling.

January 22, 2013 will mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion. Yet at no time in the last forty years has abortion been more stigmatized, more dangerous to provide, or more difficult to access. 97% of rural counties do not have an abortion provider. In 2011 there were 92 restrictions passed on abortion under Obama – almost three times the previous record which was set under George W. Bush!

Join Sunsara Taylor for a special episode of Equal Time for Freethought as we speak with and honor a woman who has been providing abortions since even before Roe v. Wade, as we talk to two young women who will “speak out” about their own abortions, and as we collectively grapple with what it will take to turn the tide.

Merle Hoffman is a pioneer in women’s health care since 1971, a staunch defender of abortion rights, an untiring activist and writer around feminist and progressive issues. Hoffman is the Founder, President and CEO of Choices Women’s Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive women’s medical facilities, and the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of On The Issues Magazine.

Donna and Rebel are two of the millions and millions of women throughout this country and around the world who have had abortions and feel just fine about it. They will tell their own stories of why they wanted the abortion, what it was like, and why they think it is so important for other women to tell their abortion stories as part of lifting the stigma and shame off this necessary medical procedure.

This Saturday on Equal Time for Freethought… Our in-studio guest will be Tina Kelley, former Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times reporter and co-author of the new book Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope. She teamed up with President of Covenant House Kevin Ryan, to interview miraculous people who have faced and overcome unimaginable obstacles, including childhood prostitution, parental abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome and more. We will talk about these stories, the realities, the problems and possible solutions to homeless youth in the United States.

While faith-based and other traditional paths which are based on supernatural beliefs claim to provide these benefits, the reality clearly falls short. Naturalism in contrast, which concerns itself with attaining an understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe that is accurate, reliable, and testable (evidence-based) can actually deliver all of these benefits, with a level of effectiveness that no supernatural-based approach can equal.

Gaining a naturalized understanding of ourselves and how we fit into the world around us can help us reduce thoughts and feelings that diminish our effectiveness and debilitate us mentally and physically such as guilt, shame, regret, blame, resentment, indignation, anxiety, fear, anger, hurt, and feelings of worthlessness; it can sharpen our awareness, deepen our empathy, and support lasting growth. The way we will demonstrate how a naturalistic understanding can accomplish all of this will be by taking calls from listeners who are willing to share how such damaging feelings may be diminishing their happiness.

Naturalistic Support is an approach to providing non-hierarchical peer support, and demonstrating how applied naturalism can facilitate personal growth. It is not a substitute for conventional psychotherapy or other forms of counseling that are traditionally provided by licensed professionals.

Thanks to Hugh Hamilton – host of “Talk Back” – ETFF presents a special edition of Naturalistic Support where we will take your calls about what naturalism and a naturalistic view point can do for you.

While faith-based and other traditional paths which are based on supernatural beliefs claim to provide these benefits, the reality clearly falls short. Naturalism in contrast, which concerns itself with attaining an understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe that is accurate, reliable, and testable (evidence-based) can actually deliver all of these benefits, with a level of effectiveness that no supernatural-based approach can equal.

Gaining a naturalized understanding of ourselves and how we fit into the world around us can help us reduce thoughts and feelings that diminish our effectiveness and debilitate us mentally and physically such as guilt, shame, regret, blame, resentment, indignation, anxiety, fear, anger, hurt, and feelings of worthlessness; it can sharpen our awareness, deepen our empathy, and support lasting growth. The way we will demonstrate how a naturalistic understanding can accomplish all of this will be by taking calls from listeners who are willing to share how such damaging feelings may be diminishing their happiness.

Naturalistic Support is an approach to providing non-hierarchical peer support, and demonstrating how applied naturalism can facilitate personal growth. It is not a substitute for conventional psychotherapy or other forms of counseling that are traditionally provided by licensed professionals.

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What you see here is the beginning of a work in progress. We look forward to bringing you a comprehensive archive of ETFF broadcasts and commentaries, as well as a place to strengthen the humanist and freethinking community. We appreciate your patience as we upload our extensive archives to this exciting new venue.